Increased outcry over Facebook Ads

Two weeks into the new Facebook marketing program, more and more users are complaining that their purchasing stats are being made public.

The program allows retailers to use the social graph in the same way that ordinary users do. Ad information can be disseminated through friend-to-friend recommendations as well as in more traditional ways.

However, when you make a purchase via Facebook from one of these retailers, Techluver.com reports that “a small box […]  appears on a corner of [users’] Web browsers following transactions at Fandango, Overstock and other online retailers. The box alerts users that information is about to be shared with Facebook unless they click on ‘No Thanks.’ It disappears after about 20 seconds, after which consent is assumed.”

If you miss your chance to click, your purchase will be shared with your Facebook friends. Companies are hoping this purchase sharing will look like an personalized endorsement: if you see that your friend uses a company’s products, you’re more likely to use them yourself. However, purchase sharing raises some awkward issues, especially as the Christmas shopping season begins. Imagine buying a present for your best friend and then finding out Facebook notified her.

In addition to this, many users are upset at what they feel is a violation of their privacy. Think about some of the items you’ve purchased online and you might agree that your shopping doesn’t need to be an open book to everyone you know.

As this site reported earlier, watchdog group MoveOn.org has created a petition to force Facebook to respect the privacy of users’ online purchases. And, of course, you can simply choose not to buy stuff through Facebook.

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